Welcome!

Hi and welcome to my 2006 bicycle touring blog! I have just finished a four-month, 4,847-mile solo bicycle ride from Minneapolis to sunny California. I've taken the "scenic route" which means I've ridden thru Montana, northern Idaho and the Cascades in Washington state before turning south for the Oregon & California coasts. I reached Orange County (California) on November 27 so I have finally finished my around-the- country bike ride that began at Hermosa Beach, CA in March 2003. Here is a quick summary of the key stats:

• traveled 11,127 miles in 230 days
• visited 25 states & 2 provinces
• pedaled for 1,042 hours at an average speed of 11 mph
• crossed 19 bodies of water via ferry and one via rail
  
• endured 18 flat tires, 6 broken spokes, 3 blown tires, 2 bee stings & a new rear wheel
• rode with strangers for 1,856 miles & friends/family for 37 miles
  
• rode interstate highways for 115 miles, paved bike trails for 603 miles & unpaved bike trails for 200 miles
  
• signed 3 autographs!
  

Yesterday I arrived in Fresno (to pick up my car) and finished the final segment of my 2006 ride: a 5-day, 300-mile trip north over the San Gabriel & Tehachapi Mountains from the Los Angeles area. Now I will be resting for the holidays and visiting with friends & family. In the meantime, enjoy the site and feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email - and thanks to those who have already done so!

Maps & pictures (with captions) are available for the entire trip. To see a month's worth of maps/pictures on one page, click on the "blog archive" section to the right. It may take a while to load them all.

End Of The Road

104 miles, 12.5 mph, 290' elevation gain
(Wasco to Fresno, CA)


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Highlights: first "century" (100+ miles) in 3 years, good riding conditions in morning, bad fog for a bit, flat all day, farm smells, yummy chicken burrito for lunch, more wind & traffic in afternoon, end of 2006 bike ride!

Journal: [to come]

Before the fog (north of Wasco)

In the fog (near Allensworth)

Last pedaling of the trip...woohoo! (Fresno)

Hillary, Alex, me, Emily & Margaret, Rod & Vicki (Fresno)

Shafted in Shafter

83 miles, 11.1 mph, 730' elevation gain
(Tehachapi to Wasco, CA)


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Highlights: Tehachapi Loop, mostly downhill to Bakersfield, oranges & potatoes & almonds, irrigation canals, new home developments, no motel in Shafter, more night riding

Journal: [to come]

You've got mail! (north of Old Town)

Busy road, nice view (west of Keene)

Last uphill of the trip! (southwest of Caliente)

Last downhill of the trip! (west of Caliente)

Frazzled

44 miles, 9.1 mph, 3100' elevation gain
(Lancaster to Tehachapi, CA)


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Highlights: high desert riding, rock quarry & wind farm, exploding tire, worried & tired, headwinds at summit (4,930'), night riding on the way down

Journal: [to come]

High desert scenery (northwest of Lancaster)

Right side of the road (north of Willow Springs)

Left side of the road (north of Willow Springs)

A sight for sore eyes (approaching the Tehachapi summit)

December 12

35 miles, 8.5 mph, 2170' elevation gain
(Santa Clarita to Lancaster, CA)


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Highlights: extremely finicky cyclometer, low-stress Soledad Canyon, afternoon rush-hour traffic

Journal: [to come]

Entering Soledad Canyon (east of Santa Clarita)

Vasquez Rocks...maybe (near Ravenna)

Fall colors (near Acton)

December 11

43 miles, 9.0 mph, 2290' elevation gain
(La Canada Flintridge to Santa Clarita, CA)


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Highlights: Late start, bike issues, nervous about not making it, switched to Plan B (longer but less hills, more traffic but plenty of places to stay)

Journal: I've spent much of the past fortnight visiting friends & family in the Los Angeles area. Tomorrow I will commence the final segment of my 2006 ride: a 5-day, 250-mile trip north over the San Gabriel & Tehachapi Mountains up to Fresno (to pick up my car). I've been putting off this last bit of riding since (1) I'm not looking forward to the vertical climbing on the first day over the San Gabriel Mountains, (2) I'm being lazy and (3) I'm not ready for my adventure to end just yet.

Hansen Dam (southeast of San Fernando)

Last SoCal freeway interchange (approaching Santa Clarita)

Santa Clarita bike path at twilight

2006 Trip Highlights & Statistics

Key Dates:

• August 10 - Departed suburban Minneapolis
  
• September 9 - Reached Havre, MT & took a 1-week break in Glacier National Park & the Canadian Rockies
  
• September 24 - Crossed the Rocky Mountains & Continental Divide near Lincoln, MT
  
• October 7 - Crossed the Northern Cascades at Washington Pass, WA
  
• October 13 - Departed North Vancouver, BC & began heading south
  
• October 30 - Reached the Pacific Coast near Florence, OR
  
• November 4 - Entered California
  
• November 25 & 27 - Reached Hermosa Beach, CA (symbolic ending point) & Sunset Beach, CA (official ending point)
  

Basic Stats:

• Total Distance = 4,416 miles in 87 days (excl. 15 "rest" days & 1-week break)
  
• Total Riding Time = 442 hours, 51 minutes
  
• Avg. Distance = 50 miles per day
  
• Avg. Speed = 10 miles per hour
  
• States/Provinces Visited = 8 (MN, ND, MT, ID, WA, BC, OR, CA)
  
• Bicycle Tourists Encountered = 14 (2 in MN, 5 in ND, 1 in MT, 2 in WA, 2 in OR, 2 in CA)
  
• Flat Tires = 8 (1 in ND, 2 in MT, 5 in CA)
  
• Broken Spokes = 6 (2 in MN, 3 in ND, 1 in CA)
• Bee Stings = 2 (1 in MN, 1 in BC)
• Autographs Signed = 2

Official Records:

• Longest Day = 85 miles (October 9)
  
• Longest Back-to-Back Days = 141 miles (August 28-29)
  
• Longest Week = 420 miles (November 7-13)
  
• Shortest Day = 9.6 miles (October 28)
  
• Fastest Day = 13.1 miles/hour (September 8)
  
• Slowest Day = 6.5 miles/hour (October 15)
  
• Biggest Elevation Gain = 5,520' (October 7)
  
• Highest Altitude = 5,477' (October 7, Washington Pass, WA)
  
• Shortest Ride In A State = 101 miles (2 days) (September 29-October 1, Idaho)
  
• Longest Ride In A State = 1,088 miles (23 days) (November 4-27, California)
  
• Most Consecutive Days Riding = 13 (September 18-October 1)
  
• Most Consecutive Days Not Riding = 8 (September 9-16)

Best Of...

• Friendliest State - North Dakota
  
• Favorite "Big" Cities - Minneapolis, MN (pop. 373,000), Fargo, ND (pop. 91,000), Vancouver, BC (pop. 583,000), Portland, OR (pop. 533,000)
  
• Favorite "Mid-Size" Cities - Corvallis, OR (pop. 49,600), Arcata, CA (pop. 16,900), Petaluma, CA (pop. 54,800), Seal Beach, CA (pop. 24,300)
  
• Favorite "Small" Cities - Page, ND (pop. 206), Fort Benton, MT (pop. 1,475), Wallace, ID (pop. 907)
• Favorite Museums - Culbertson Museum (Culbertson, MT); Museum of the Northern Great Plains (Fort Benton, MT); Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center (Great Falls, MT); Mount St. Helens Silver Lake Visitor Center (Castle Rock, WA); Kinetic Sculpture Museum (Ferndale, CA); Hearst Castle (San Simeon, CA)
• Favorite Food & Drink - 25 wild wing sampler platter (Anoka, MN); wild rice hotdish (Lake Itasca State Park, MN); chicken tortellini soup (Havre, MT); draft pear cider (Port Townsend, WA); smoked salmon & gouda pizza (Corvallis, OR); homemade spaghetti & meatballs (Eugene, OR)
• Unfamiliar Food - drummies (Page, ND); coffee cake pizza (Cooperstown, ND); Indian tacos (Culbertson, MT); elk jerky (Lakeside, OR)
  
• Best Accomodation - Totten Trail Historic Inn (Fort Totten, ND)
• Best Laundromat - Leisure Laundry in Fargo, ND (pinball & video games, TV lounge, tanning beds)
  
• Best Road - Newton Drury Scenic Parkway (Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, CA)
  
• Wacky Weather - Severe thunder/lightning (Little Falls, MN), Tornado watch (Cooperstown, ND); 25 to 35 mph headwinds (Williston, ND), snow (Banff, AB), frost (Eel Lake, OR), gale advisory (Port Orford, OR)
  

Worst Of...

• Least Favorite Cities - Poplar, MT; Spokane, WA; Bridgeport, WA; Silverdale, WA; Wilmington, CA
  

Where Did I Sleep?

• Indoor/Motel (56 nights, $50/night avg.)
  
• Outdoor/Tent (28 nights, $10/night avg.)
  
• In Someone's Home (17 nights, free)

Odd Places I Slept:

• In a teepee (ND)
  
• In a church basement (MT)
  
• On a farm (MT)
  
• Somebody's backyard (MT)
  
• In a yurt (OR)
  

Witty Church Signs:

• "What's missing in Ch__ch?" (Fargo, ND)
  
• "Try my Sundays. They're better than Baskin-Robins. God" (Sun River, MT)
  
• "Tense about the future? God is always present" (Petaluma, CA)
  

Famous Rivers Crossed:

• Mississippi (MN)
• Red River (MN/ND)
  
• Missouri (MT)
• Columbia (WA)
• Willamette (OR)
• Los Angeles (CA)
  

Ferry Crossings (6):

• Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo (BC)
  
• Crofton to Vesuvius (BC)
• Fulford Harbour to Swartz Bay (BC)
• Sidney to Anacortes (BC/WA)
• Keystone to Port Townsend (WA)
• Willamette River near Willamette Mission State Park (OR)
  

Wild Animals Seen:

• Deer
  
• Snakes
• Roosevelt Elk
  
• Elephant Seals

Miles Ridden With Other People (883):

• Andre (483)
  
• Joe (373)
  
• A guy from Corvallis (19)
  
• Dean (9)
  

People I Saw In More Than One State (3):

• Joe (ND, MT)
  
• Andre (OR, CA)
  
• Dean (MT, CA)
  

Daily Riding Frequency:

• Less than 30 miles (9 times)
  
• 30-39 miles (10 times)
  
• 40-49 miles (21 times)
  
• 50-59 miles (23 times)
  
• 60-69 miles (18 times)
  
• 70-79 miles (4 times)
  
• 80-89 miles (2 times)
  

Additional Breakdown by State:

• Miles (4,416) - California 1,088, Montana 832, Washington 732, Oregon 525, Minnesota 518, North Dakota 497, British Columiba 122, Idaho 102
  
• Days (102) - California 23, Montana 19, Washington 15, Oregon 13, North Dakota 13, Minnesota 11½, British Columbia 5½, Idaho 2
  
• Paved Bike Trails/Sidewalks (361 miles) - Minnesota 166, Idaho 73, California 60, Oregon 32, British Columbia 13, Montana 8, Washington 7, North Dakota 2
  
• Unpaved Roads/Trails (24 miles) - Minnesota 14, Montana 5, Idaho 2, North Dakota 2, Oregon 1
  
• Interstate Highway Riding (52 miles) - Montana 48, Idaho 4

2003 Trip Highlights & Statistics (revisited)

Key Dates:

• March 8 - Departed the Pacific Coast
  
• March 28 - Crossed the Continental Divide near Silver City, NM
  
• April 1 - Crossed the Rio Grande River & entered Texas
  
• May 1 - Crossed the Mississippi River
  
• May 17 - Arrived at the Atlantic Coast
  
• June 11 - Reached suburban Washington D.C.
  
• July 6 - Departed suburban Washington D.C. after a 3-week break
  
• July 9 - Crossed the Atlantic Continental Divide at Big Savage Mountain, MD
  
• August 3 - Crossed the Mississippi River & reached Minneapolis, MN

Basic Stats:

• Total Distance = 6,711 miles in 104 days (excl. 24 "rest" days & 3-week break)
  
• Total Riding Time = 599 hours, 27 minutes
  
• Avg. Distance = 65 miles per day
  
• Avg. Speed = 11 miles per hour
  
• States/Provinces Visited = 20 (CA, AZ, NM, TX, LA, MS, AL, FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, MD, WV, PA, OH, ON, MI, WI, MN)
  
• Bicycle Tourists Encountered = 24 (2 in AZ, 3 in NM, 1 in TX, 1 in LA, 1 in VA, 3 in MD, 1 in PA, 12 in MI)
  
• Flat Tires = 10 (1 in TX, 1 in FL, 1 in SC, 5 in NC, 1 in WI, 1 in MN)
  
• Autographs Signed = 1

Official Records:

• Longest Day = 132 miles (June 7)
  
• Longest Back-to-Back Days = 200 miles (August 1-2)
  
• Longest Week = 619 miles (July 28-August 3)
  
• Shortest Day = 12 miles (April 30
  
• Fastest Day = 14.0 miles/hour (May 31)
  
• Slowest Day = 6.5 miles/hour (March 11)
  
• Biggest Elevation Gain = 5,610' (March 27)
  
• Highest Altitude = 6,230' (March 28, Continental Divide near Silver City, NM)
  
• Lowest Altitude = 200' below sea level (March 13, Brawley, CA)
  
• Hottest Spot = Palatka, FL (May 16, 98º & humid)
  
• Coldest Spot = Alpine, TX (April 8, 27º with wind chill)
  
• Quickest Ride Thru A County = 0.7 miles (3 minutes) (April 21, Brazos County, TX)
  
• Shortest Ride In A State = 1 mile (1 hour) (July 8, West Virginia)
  
• Longest Ride In A State = 1,253 miles (25 days) (April 1-26, Texas)
  
• Most Consecutive Days Riding = 14 (May 30-June 12)
  
• Most Consecutive Days Not Riding = 23 (June 13-July 5)

Best Of...

• Favorite States - Texas (big & beautiful, friendly, good food & great ice cream), Michigan (nice people, attractive small towns, lots of lakes), North Carolina (beach towns, coastal habitat & historic spots)
  
• Favorite "Big" Cities - Austin, TX (pop. 656,562), Savannah, GA (pop. 131,510), Pittsburgh, PA (pop. 334,563), Minneapolis, MN (pop. 382,618)
  
• Favorite "Mid-Size" Cities - Silver City, NM (pop. 10,545), St. Augustine, FL (pop. 11,592), Cumberland, MD (pop. 21,518), Traverse City, MI (pop. 14,532)
  
• Favorite "Small" Cities - Pine Valley, CA (pop. 1,501), St. Francisville, LA (pop. 1,712), Dauphin Island, AL (pop. 1,371), Boulder Junction, WI (pop. 958)
  
• Best Store Name - Piggly Wiggly (various locations)
  
• Best Park - Big Bend National Park, TX
  
• Best Museum (quality) - Desert Caballeros Western Museum, Wickenburg, AZ
  
• Best Museum (fun) - Judge Roy Bean Museum, Langtry, TX
  
• Weird Weather - Sleet (Wickenburg, AZ), Snow (Silver City, NM), Severe Thunder/Lightning/Hail (western MD)

Worst Of...

• Least Favorite Cities - Apache Junction, AZ; Sunland Park, NM; Melville, LA; East Palatka, FL; Leamington, ON
  
• Least Favorite State - Mississippi (poor, hot & humid, no shoulders, roadkill, bugs)
  
• Least Favorite County - East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana (major industries are "timber, welfare & crystal meth labs")

Frequently Asked Questions:

• "Why Are You Doing This?"
  
• "Isn't It Dangerous?"
  
• "Do You Have A Gun?"
  
• "Are You Crazy?"
  
• "No Really, Are You Crazy?"
  
• "Is Jesus Travelling With You?"

Where Did I Sleep?

• In A Motel (65 nights, $45-50/night avg.)
  
• In A Tent (34 nights, $5-10/night avg.)
  
• In Someone's Home (29 nights, free)

Stupid Things I Did:

• Fell off bike on Day 1 (while riding home at night, didn't turn when the road did; ran into sidewalk and scraped leg)
  
• Ran into parked SUV on Day 2 (tired of climbing hills; didn't look up until too late)
  
• Fell off bike again on Day 3 (while talking with another biker, got too close to curb; rubbed saddlebags & promptly fell over)
  
• Decapitated my in-the-ear headphones on Day 4 (in trying to take them off while pedaling, I dropped them & the spinning front wheel chopped off the earpieces)
  
• Decapitated my second in-the-ear headphones several days later (D'oh!)
  
• "Fixed" 2nd flat tire by inserting unpatched tube (with hole) from 1st flat tire!
  
• Fell off my bike on the VERY LAST DAY less than 5 miles from the finish line (approaching a 4-way intersection on a congested suburban road, riding way too slow behind several cars, I just fell over!)

Things People Threw At Me:

• An empty plastic water bottle (AZ)
  
• Three pennies (NC)

"Famous" Towns I Passed Thru:

• Aguila, AZ ("Home of the World's Finest Cantalopes")
  
• Alpine, TX ("Home of the Last Frontier")
  
• Mamou, LA ("Cajun Music Capital of the World")
  
• Poplarville, MS ("Blueberry Capital of Mississippi")
  
• Bayou La Batre, AL ("Seafood Capital of Alabama")
  
• Orange Beach, AL ("Gem of the Gulf Coast")
  
• Fernandina, FL ("Shrimping Capital of the World" thru the 1920's)
  
• Kingsland, GA ("The City of Royal Treatment")
  
• Midway, GA ("The Cradle of Revolutionary Spirit in Georgia")
  
• Gloucester County, VA ("Land of the Life Worth Living")
  
• Scandia, MN ("First Swedish Settlement in Minnesota")

Some "Well-Known" Places:

• Boston (PA)
  
• Hollywood (SC)
  
• Memphis (MI)
  
• Scotland (VA)

Towns With Cool Names That I Went Thru:

• Pumpkin (TX)
  
• Fred (TX)
  
• Mamou (LA)
  
• Spuds (FL)
  
• Ashepoo (SC)
  
• Wampee (SC)
  
• Ocracoke (NC)
  
• Paw Paw (WV)
  
• Willowick (OH)
  
• Ojibwa (WI)

Towns Named After Food:

• Mayo (FL)
  
• Molasses Junction (FL)
  
• Pumpkin (TX)
  
• Spuds (FL)

Towns That Weren't What They Were Supposed To Be:

• Ordinary (VA)
  
• Lively (VA)
  
• Novelty (OH)
  
• Panacea (FL)

Towns I "Visited" More Than Once:

• Alpine (CA, TX)
  
• Atlantic Beach (FL, NC)
  
• Beaufort (SC, NC)
  
• Brunswick (GA, MD)
  
• Cumberland (MD, WI)
  
• Hastings (FL, NC)
  
• Jamestown (SC, VA)
  
• Laguna Beach (CA, FL)
  
• Seaside (FL, NC)
  
• Sunset Beach (CA, NC)
  
• Washington (LA, TX)
  
• Williamsburg (VA, MI)

Famous Rivers Crossed:

• Colorado (CA/AZ)
  
• Rio Grande (NM/TX)
  
• Pecos (TX)
  
• Mississippi (LA)
  
• Suwanee (FL)
  
• Cape Fear (NC)
  
• Potomac (VA/MD)
  
• Monongahela (PA)
  
• Ohio (PA)
  
• Mississippi (MN)

Rivers Crossed That I Can't Pronounce:

• Hassayampa (AZ)
  
• Atchafalaya (LA)
  
• Ichetucknee (FL)
  
• Youghiogheny (PA)

Ferry Crossings (14):

• Newport - Balboa Island (CA)
  
• Atchafalaya River near Melville (LA)
  
• Mississippi River near St. Francisville (LA)
  
• Mobile Bay from Dauphin Island (AL)
  
• St. Johns River near Atlantic Bearch (FL)
  
• Cape Fear River from Southport (NC)
  
• Pamlico Sound to Ocracoke (NC)
  
• Hatteras Inlet to Hatteras (NC)
  
• Potomac River at Whites Ferry (VA/MD)
  
• Lake Erie from Sandusky (OH) to Pelee Island (ON)
  
• Lake Erie from Pelee Island to Leamington (ON)
  
• St. Clair River from Sombra (ON) to Marine City (MI)
  
• Lake Huron from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island (MI)
  
• Lake Huron from Mackinac Island to St. Ignace (MI)

Animals Most Interested In My Ride:

• #1 - Dogs (bark, chase & appear rabid)
  
• #2 - Cows (stare, stare and stare)
  
• #3 - Roosters ("cock-a-doodle-doo")
  
• #4 - Humans ("are you crazy?")

Cool (Live) Animals Seen:

• Dolphins
  
• Roadrunners
  
• Javalina
  
• Snakes
  
• An alligator

Gross (Dead) Animals Seen:

• Armadillos
  
• Racoons
  
• Turtles
  
• Deer
  
• Snakes

Miles Ridden With Other People (1,010):

• Shahar (825)
  
• Mike (118)
  
• Troy (18)
  
• A guy entering St. Paul (16)
  
• A different guy in east Texas (12)
  
• Scott & Joanne (10)
  
• Another guy in southeast Michigan (5)
  
• Scott, Cindy & Breanna (2½)
  
• Somebody else in central Texas (1)
  
• Yet another person in San Diego (1)
  
• A female rider in north-central Michigan (1)
  
• Steve in Western Maryland (½)

People I Saw In More Than One State (4):

• Dave & Carol (AZ, TX, VA)
  
• Shahar (NM, TX)
  
• Tanice (CA, NY)
  
• Jim (AZ, VA)

Daily Riding Frequency:

• Less than 30 miles (9 times)
  
• 30-39 miles (11 times)
  
• 40-49 miles (7 times)
  
• 50-59 miles (15 times)
  
• 60-69 miles (17 times)
  
• 70-79 miles (18 times)
  
• 80-89 miles (12 times)
  
• 90-99 miles (7 times)
  
• 100 or more miles (8 times)

Additional Breakdown by State:

• Miles (6,711) - Texas 1,253, Michigan 819, Florida 703, Arizona 562, North Carolina 453, Virginia 393, California 357, Louisiana 328, South Carolina 314, Wisconsin 268, Ohio 198, Pennsylvania 189, Mississippi 172, Maryland 168, Georgia 156, New Mexico 131, Ontario 90, Alabama 78, Minnesota 77, West Virginia 1
  
• Days (128) - Texas 25, Florida 14½, Michigan 13½, Arizona 12½, California 7½, Louisiana 7, North Carolina 6½, South Carolina 5½, New Mexico 5, Virginia 5, Pennsylvania 4, Minnesota 3½, Mississippi 3½, Ohio 3½, Georgia 3, Maryland 3, Wisconsin 3, Alabama 1½, Ontario 1, West Virgina 0 (1 hour)
  
• Paved Bike Trails (268 miles) - Michigan 60, Virginia 53, Florida 42, Minnesota 25, California 21, Maryland 20, Arizona 16, Ohio 16, Alabama 6, North Carolina 5, Wisconsin 2, Louisiana 1, Texas 1
  
• Unpaved Bike Trails (194 miles) - Pennsylvania 100, Maryland 88, Ohio 6
  
• Interstate Highway Riding (63 miles) - Arizona 30, California 22, Texas 11